Rumor: Too Human, X-Men Destiny dev hit by 'massive layoffs'
Silicon Knights, developer of games like Too Human, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, and Eternal Darkness, is rumored to have undergone "massive layoffs." The Canadian development studio, having just shipped X-Men Destiny, has apparently laid off all but 25
Silicon Knights, developer of games like Too Human, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, and Eternal Darkness, is rumored to have undergone "massive layoffs." The Canadian development studio, having just shipped X-Men Destiny, has apparently laid off all but 25 employees today.
While it's common for contract employees to be terminated once a game ships, the alleged size of the cuts points to something far more drastic.
The company has not confirmed the reports, but 1UP has supposedly received two credible and independent sources verifying the layoff. In fact, one tipster says that studio head Denis Dyack's wife, who worked in the human resources department, has also been laid off.
Dyack was infamous for being a vocal defender of Too Human, which met middling reviews in spite of its years-long development. However, Dyack has been suspicious quiet since the studio's most recent release, X-Men Destiny, fared even worse critically.
Although future plans for the studio included a game with Sega, and a possible continuation of the Too Human franchise, the company's most recent official line is that "they are focused on [the] released X-Men Destiny."
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replyAndrew Yoon posted a new article, Rumor: Too Human, X-Men Destiny dev hit by 'massive layoffs'.
Silicon Knights, developer of games like Too Human, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, and Eternal Darkness, is rumored to have undergone "massive layoffs." The Canadian development studio, having just shipped X-Men Destiny, has apparently laid off all but 25-
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Didn't someone post before that they told the Canadian government they were going to hire more people if they got tax decreases or something? Whoops!
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They got a Canadian government grant back in July: http://www.shacknews.com/article/69303/silicon-knights-gets-canadian-government-funds
"With Ontario government support, we are better-positioned to further develop the 8th Art of video games," said Denis Dyack. "This will enhance our competitive edge within the highly-competitive video game market, help us become a self-sustainable, self-publishing entity, and allow us to enter lucrative global markets."
So... what happened?-
That was probably just to break even and pay off some stuff they were sitting on. Like employees.
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that was 9 years ago
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Assholes got a boatload of government money.
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Sounds like Dyack himself is the one who needs to asses if he's a good fit for the comapany anymore.
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Regardless of how anyone feels about the studio, it's always sad to hear about people losing their jobs.
That being said, I think that Silicon Knights usually starts projects with interesting ideas, but when it comes time to refine them, Dyack isn't open to any constructive criticism. He just knows that whatever he is doing is right and isn't willing to listen to what anyone has to say, which is too bad because it leads to big lay-offs like this. He should have listened to Mark MacDonald instead of getting so defensive.
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